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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24200362">Stronger With You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyPotterPal/pseuds/MollyPotterPal'>MollyPotterPal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Bad Albus Dumbledore, Children, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Growing Up, M/M, Werewolf Mates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:54:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,542</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24200362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MollyPotterPal/pseuds/MollyPotterPal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would have happened if Sirius had not gone after Peter that night, if instead he had stuck around to raise Harry himself as James and Lily would have wanted? How different would Harry's life have been? How much meddling could Dumbledore really have gotten away with? Follow Sirius as he navigates the harsh reality of crazy uncle to doting father, all while trying to mend the bridge he unintentionally severed with Remus over an ill-fated "prank".</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I do not think that I have to tell you that all the characters in this fic belong to the wonderful and lovely queen J.K. Rowling. I am reviving this story here as I had originally posted it on fanfiction.net under a different author name (same story name). I started it in college and life happened so I abandoned it, but found it in my archives and fell back in love with the story.I will update when I can but I love getting reviews, they feed my creative fire. I am not one for author’s notes at the beginning of every chapter, so if you see one know that it may or may not be important &gt;.&lt;. This is slow burn slash fic, don’t like don’t read. Flames will be used to warm my heart.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     Sirius Black was at a loss. He was furious, heartbroken, distraught, confused, and afraid. James and Lily, his brain paused as agony ripped through him just thinking about their loss. But he had to think about them, he had to think about Harry. Thinking about the little boy made him look down at the bundle in his arms. He was so furious with Peter that it was only the thought of Harry that had stopped him from finding the devious rat and blowing him to kingdom come. It had taken him moments to find out what happened to the young boy. He had shown up at Godric’s Hollow to find James’ and Lily’s house blown up, and Hagrid emerging from the destruction with a tiny bundle in his hands. Sirius had tried to take Harry then, but Hagrid had been adamant that the boy be given to his Aunt and Uncle per Dumbledore's orders. So Sirius had graciously offered his motorcycle to the young giant and then followed behind at a respectable distance. He watched from behind the stone wall, Disillusioned, as Dumbledore placed Harry on the Dursleys’ doorstep, chatted with Minerva for a moment and then left. Scoffing in frustration Sirius then walked up to the stoop and scooped up his Godson. Taking a moment to read the letter that Dumbledore left behind, he scoffed again before turning away. There was no way Harry would be raised by these magic hating muggles, not while Sirius still breathed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Sirius marched up the lane of Privet Drive and paused for a moment to locate his broom before carefully getting on with his precious bundle. For now he would take Harry back to Grimmauld Place, and try to figure out what he was going to do. He had always been the playboy, the prankster, the goofball of the group. He was going to be the fun crazy uncle that got Harry into tons of trouble. He wasn’t worried about corrupting the boy because James, well Lily would make sure he grew up on the straight and narrow. But now, Sirius felt his body stiffen as Harry shifted in his arms. He tightened his arm around the boy reflexively, but had to loosen a bit when Harry let out a muffled mew. They were so high up, if he dropped him, Sirius shook his head to clear it of the sudden terror. Now he had to be a dad, responsible, strict but caring, loving and everything his own parents weren’t. He had no idea how to do that, but he figured if he treated Harry like the Potters had treated him then the boy should turn out to be a semi-decent human….he hoped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     When he arrived back at Grimmauld Place he brought Harry up to his bedroom and sat in the middle of the bed with the boy. He gazed at the lightning scar that adorned the boy’s face now, and sucked in a breath when he saw that Harry was awake and looking at him with his mother’s brilliant green eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Hey buddy,” Sirius whispered. He went about releasing Harry from the bundle he had been wrapped in, and Harry stretched out upon being released. He recognized the man above him, and made that clear by climbing to his feet and toddling across the bed to collapse in Sirius’ lap. Putting his hands around the boy Sirius hoisted Harry up until they were face to face. Harry smiled a bit and reached out to grab Sirius’ nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Puppy,” Harry murmured as he grasped Sirius’ nose. The gentle action and much loved nickname cause Sirius to sniffle, which caused Harry to giggle a bit. After a moment Harry let go and began to look around. He seemed confused, and Sirius’ stomach dropped as he realized what must be coming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Momma?” Harry asked turning back to his favorite puppy man. He watched as the puppy man’s face crumpled up and big tears rolled down his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Sorry buddy, momma isn’t here anymore,” Sirius whispered through his tears. He watched Harry grow confused and point toward the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Momma.” Harry demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “No Harry, No Momma...no Daddy,” Sirius said softly. He had thought throughout the entire ride to Grimmauld about what he was going to say when Harry asked for his parents, and had decided that he would not hide it. They would deal with their grief together. As he expected Harry’s face scrunched up and he started to cry, little fists pounding on Sirius’ chest in time to the pounding of his heart. He scooped up Harry and held him close, making calming noises with no words. The little boy cried himself to sleep, and still Sirius held him. When he finally set him down on the bed he remembered that Lily said that Harry slept on his front. And if he built a fort around the little boy with pillows, so that he didn’t roll off the bed, well there was noone there to criticize him. There was also no one there to watch Harry while he took a shower, and so Sirius put up a monitoring charm, and put a sticking charm on the baby’s onesie just to be sure. And as Sirius stood in the shower and let the water wash away the dirt, no one was there to hear his heartbroken sobs or see the way he crumpled to the shower floor and simply held himself, as if doing so would keep him in one piece long enough to make it to the next day. Because he would make it to the next day, and so would Harry. They would make it through this moment of pain, and they would come out on the other side, stronger, wiser, and hopefully happier.  </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Starting Over</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“No!” Harry screamed as he knocked away the hand approaching him with something green and mushy. He heard his Puppy man huff in an unhappy way as the green goop went all over the floor. Harry happily clapped his hands at the sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Harry, you have to eat your peas!” Sirius snapped in frustration. He then sighed when this caused Harry to start crying. Giving up on the peas for now Sirius unstuck Harry from the tabletop and picked him up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay buddy, okay calm down,” Sirius cooed as he cradled Harry. He gently pat the boys back as he walked in random circles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No Peez, no peez,” Harry cried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, no peas, Harry.” Sirius agreed mentally making a note to tell Kreacher not to make any more puréed peas for Harry. Harry continued to cry which Sirius had come to learn meant Harry was sleepy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, buddy, let's go get you cleaned up and then you can play with Padfoot for a bit, okay,” Sirius said as he walked upstairs. The day after he had brought Harry home he had gone to the nearest department store and raided it for everything he thought he would need. His room now had a crib in it as well as a small play area. In the last month Sirius had come to realize that this house was not a good place to raise a baby, and as always his thoughts turned to Remus. The man would know exactly how to baby proof a house. As Sirius went about changing Harry into a cute onesie with an elephant on it Sirius mused over some of his recent decisions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had decided that he would not tell Dumbledore where he and Harry were, only that they were safe. The man had sent him back a Howler, but in the end Dumbledore did not know where Grimmauld Place was. He had also gone to the bank and changed his Will to include Harry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Puppy,” Harry said while he rubbed one eye in a sleepy manner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right you are, Harry,” Sirius said before gently setting him on the ground. After making sure the door was locked and anything potentially breakable was out of reach Sirius shifted. Harry squealed in happiness and rushed the dog. Sirius yipped and playfully head butted the little boy knocking him onto his well padded bottom. Harry laughed and got up to charge him again. This time Sirius sidestepped him and ran away, Harry laughing in fast pursuit. They played like that for ten minutes before Sirius dropped to the ground. Harry toddled up to to him and sat in the circle of his legs. Soon enough Harry had curled into a ball against Sirius and had fallen asleep. Shifting back slowly, a skill he had perfected in the last month, Sirius gathered Harry up and set him in his crib. Putting the necessary monitoring charms up he left the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Walking down the hallway only highlighted once again that he needed to move, the dark walls and even darker window hangings made the place look as gloomy as possible. It surprised him all the time that enough sunlight came in that he could tell the difference between day and night. As he passed the bottom of the stairs the curtain pulled back to reveal his mother who scowled down at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Has the urchin fallen asleep then,” She hissed at him. Walburga Black looked like she had a piece of shit stuck under her nose at all times, a look that had only gotten worse the first time Harry’s crying had awoken her. She had screamed about having the child of a blood traitor in her house so loudly that Harry’s quiet sobs had turned to screams. It had taken Sirius an hour to calm the boy down after he had gotten his Mother’s curtain shut. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t call him an urchin, but yes he is asleep. I need to ask you a question,” Sirius said standing in front of the portrait. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What,” Walburga asked with a sniff. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I leave this place permanently will the spells on it keeping it from being found wear off?” Sirius asked. His mother glared at him, the hatred pooling in her eyes. Before she could open her mouth, no doubt to scream, Sirius pointed his wand at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you wake him up you will regret it,” Sirius threatened. Walburga looked for a moment like she would scream anyway, but then must have thought better of it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not as long as you maintain ownership of the house, no the enchantments will not wear off,” Walburga grudgingly admitted. Sirius nodded in understanding and looked around the home he hated. He sighed, and came to a decision. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I appreciate it,” He said to his mother who looked aghast at having received thanks from her oldest and most ungrateful son. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where will you go?” She asked as Sirius finished his descent down the stairs. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure yet, but this is no place to raise a baby.” Sirius answered before disappearing into the kitchen. There he found Kreacher hovering over a pot of what smelled like beef stew. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kreecher.” Sirius said with distaste. He disliked this house elf probably as much as it hated him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, oh most noble son of the House of Black,” Kreacher responded turning from the stew and bowing low. Sirius heard him mutter something about “ungrateful son”, but chose to ignore it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Soon Harry and I will be leaving and we do not intend to come back. You are to stay here and maintain the household, it is not to fall to disrepair, no one unauthorized by me is to be allowed in, and you are not allowed to reveal the house’s location to anyone. Do you understand?” Sirius commanded. He tried to make sure there were no loopholes for the crafty house elf to exploit. From the look on Kreacher’s face that was exactly what he was trying to do. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kreacher will be doing as Master Sirius askes, when will you and the little one be leaving,” Kreacher asked. His voice growing soft, if such a thing was possible. It would seem that Kreacher liked Harry, Harry certainly didn’t mind Kreacher. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not sure, but i will give you notice before we leave. Should we move to a new place...would you like to be called upon there for odd jobs?” Sirius asked unable to figure out what possessed him to extend the offer. Kretcher’s eyes widened and his ears quivered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kreacher would be most pleased,” Kreacher said softly. It was then that Sirius realized that if he hadn’t offered such a thing to Kreacher the poor elf was liable to go mad with no one but his mother’s portrait to serve. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” Sirius said with a nod and turning on his heel left the room. Besides the kitchen and his bedroom there was only one other place in the house that Sirius went to on a regular basis. The study, located just off the kitchen, was as dark and dreary as the rest of the house. This was due largely to the dark brown, almost black, furniture that sat within the room. Crossing to the desk Sirius pulled out parchment and quill and stared down at the paper. They hadn’t talked in years, since James and Lily’s wedding. And only then because to ignore each other would have made their friends sad. Remus wasn’t going to forgive him for what he had done to Snape, Sirius scowled just thinking about the bloody Slytherin. But maybe he would be willing to help. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Remus,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I know that you must still hate me after all that I did, but I need your help. I am sure you know that James and Lily were killed by Voldemort. I do not know if Dumbledore told you that he left Harry with Petunia and Vernon, but I wanted to tell you that Harry wasn’t there for more than five minutes before I took him. He has been living with me for the past month, but where we are is no place to raise a baby. I need help, we need a new place to live and I need help raising Harry. I can fund the house, we just need to find a place...and I would appreciate if you would come to help me. You were as much a part of Harry’s life as I was, and I think you will know how to do this parenting thing better than me. As for your furry little problem, we will figure it out. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Please respond,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sirius </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius stared at the letter for what felt like an hour before he sealed it and set it aside. He didn’t have an owl right now, and would just have to send it the next time he ventured into Diagon Alley. The monitoring charm that he had put up to tell him when Harry woke up buzzed, and he jumped as his wand vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out and giving it a swift flick he stood and left the room. He could hear Harry calling for him before he got to the top of the stairs, and he quickly went to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wius, Wius!” Harry called out as he stood in his crib. He had a nice nap, but now he wanted out of the crib. He smiled widely as his favorite person opened the door and crossed the room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, little man, did you sleep well,” Sirius asked as he picked up Harry and settled him on his hip. That had taken three days for him to get correctly, luckily Harry was a patient baby and hardly ever fussed. Harry nodded in answer and popped a thumb in his mouth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you hungry?” Sirius asked as they left the room. Harry started to nod again before Sirius saw a very mulish look cross the boys face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No Peez,” Harry stated. Sirius laughed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No peas,” Sirius agreed entering the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kreacher, kindly bring me some mashed potatoes for young Harry. You can use the ones from the stew if they are cooked enough,” Sirius stated as he stuck Harry to the tabletop. Harry enjoyed his place atop the table and clapped happily. He only fussed a little when Sirius moved away to grab him a sippy cup and fill it with juice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master Sirius has received an owl,” Kreacher pointed out. Sirius glanced at the window in the corner and there was indeed an owl sitting there. When he went over to look at the letter it held he could see the Ministry seal upon it. Sirius took the letter and with a nod the owl took off. Coming back to sit in front of Harry Sirius took the small bowl Kreacher handed him and started to feel the lad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ummy,” Harry said around a mouthful of potato. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes it it very yummy, you be sure to eat it all up now,” Sirius responded as he spooned another mouthful in. They were silent, Harry making little happy noises now and again while Sirius glanced at the letter from the Ministry. He wondered if it was about the Will. As soon as Harry was finished he unstuck him from the table and set him down in the playpen he had set up in the corner of the kitchen. Harry was very content to play with the toys found within, leaving Sirius to open the letter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Lord Black,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You are hereby summoned to Gringotts bank on December 15th at 2:30pm for the reading of James Potter and Lily Potter ne Evans’ Last Will and Testaments. You are to bring with you their heir and surviving relative a Harry James Potter. Please note that all benefactors of their Will will be present (if able). You will be required to produce proof of your identity. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank You,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Melody Hopkins</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Director of Deceased Affairs</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ministry of Magic</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius sat back with a sigh and ran a hand threw his hair. He needed to cut it, as it was hitting his shoulders now and seemed be Harry’s favorite thing to grab ahold of. He had three weeks to find a new place to live with Harry, because he was sure someone was going to question his ability to raise Harry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kreacher, I need to run to Gringotts for an hour or so. Can I trust you to take care of Harry,” Sirius asked reluctantly. Kreacher nodded and Sirius walked over to Harry. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Buddy, I have to go out for a little, but I’ll be back soon okay,” Sirius said softly. Harry pouted and Sirius quickly stopped the tantrum before it could start. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back, and you can play with Kreacher while I’m gone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cha!” Harry said happily pointing at Kreacher. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, he will be right here, okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Harry nodded before getting to his feet and toddling over to Sirius. He raised his hands over his head, the universal sign for “Pick me up”. Sirius smiled and grabbed him up into a tight hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be right back, promise,” Sirius said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pomise,” Harry repeated. Sirius pressed a kiss to Harry’s head and put him back in the playpen. Then making himself turn away he ran to his bedroom to grab his robes. Stopping in the office to grab the letter to Rumus he stepped onto the front porch and walked off down the street. He made it about three streets over before he was sure he could Disapparate without being seen. Appearing again in front of the Leaky he quickly made his way inside. He made it all the way to the entrance of Diagon before getting caught. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi SIRIUS!” A loud booming voice called out. Sirius flinched before turning to meet the aggravated eyes of one Rubeus Hagrid. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ay Hagrid,” Sirius said with a crooked smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no you don’t, Sirius Black, you can c’mover ‘ere for a mo and talk ta me,” Hagrid called over. Sirius quickly made his way over and plopped down into the seat across from the large man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, ows about you tell me wha ya thought you were doin takin young ‘Arry like that?” Hagrid demanded. He wasn’t being overly loud, for that Sirius was happy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hagrid, what do you know about the muggles that Dumbledore planned to leave Harry with?” Sirius asked. Hagrid shrugged. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not much, Ol’ Dumbledore dinna tell me much,” Hagrid stated taking a drink of his ale. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They are the worst kind of muggles you could think of. Petunia, his aunt, would make fun of Lily, she would bully her. Don’t get me started on Vernon her husband, fattest man you would even know and horrible as well. There was no way I was leaving Harry in their care, no way no how.” Sirius said adamantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright then,” Hagrid said with a small smile. He wasn’t totally upset that Sirius had taken Harry, but he felt it was his duty to act like it. When Sirius realized this he chuckled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“May I go about my business now my friend,” Sirius asked. Hagrid waved him on as he knocked back the rest of his drink. Sirius made his way into Diagon Alley and directly to the Bank. The goblin running the main desk was one he had dealt with before. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gringlhop, could I request a word with the goblin in charge of the Black vaults and properties?” Sirius asked politely. Gringlhop looked at him over the desk for a moment before nodding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait Here,” he said before hopping down and disappearing. A moment later he returned, followed by another goblin. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Follow me,” The new goblin stated before moving into a new room, one that Sirius recognized as an office upon entering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To whom am I addressing,” Sirius asked as they settled. The goblin looked at him with speculation before nodding. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am Hipcock, I have been in control of the Black accounts for 350 years. What do you need today?” Hipcock asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would like a list of the properties that the Blacks own, as well as any enchantments that are currently on them,” Sirius responded. Hipcock nodded and began to rifle through the papers in front of him. Soon he had a much smaller stack that he handed to Sirius. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There are twenty-four </span>
  <span>other properties of the Noble house of Black besides Grimmauld Place. Six of them I caution are uninhabitable without extensive cleaning and curse removal. Eight others are in good standing, however there are enchantments that have been broken on them in the last century that would need to be added back. The rest are fine on both accounts.” Hipcock explained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“May I have these?” Sirius asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You may make a copy, and you must sign this,” Hipcock responded holding out a piece of paper. Sirius took the paper and read it over, seeing that it was a standard removal of documentation form. He signed it quickly, including adding a speck of his blood for verification. He quickly made a copy of the locations and tucked the papers away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Sirius said and rose to his feet. The goblin followed suit and together they left the office. Sirius nodded to Gringlhop on his way out and quickly left the bank. He stopped briefly at the Owlery to send the letter to Remus before Apparating back home. He felt a sense of relief as he entered the house to hear Harry giggling. He followed the sound and came to stop in the doorway of the kitchen. Kreacher had stuck Harry to the kitchen table again and was attempting feed him something green. Harry was lobbing the food at Kreacher making the elf duck out of the way, thus why Harry was giggling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No Peez Cha!” Harry exclaimed throwing another handful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, Master Harry, you have to eat your peas" Kreacher tried again. Harry opened his mouth, no doubt to yell No again, but Kreacher took this moment to shove some peas into his mouth. The results were hilarious. Harry seemed to freeze as the taste hit his tongue. He thought about it, decided that no, he did not like peas, and proceeded to spit them out rapid fire in Kreacher’s direction. Sirius burst out laughing. Harry swiveled in place and called out,</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wius no peez mo bagrgg no!” Harry scolded him loudly. Walking over to the messy boy Sirius unstuck him from the table. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Harry, no peas. Let's go get you cleaned up. Here we go, stop throwing peas at poor Kreacher,” Sirius said soothingly as he bore the boy upstairs. Bathing Harry had been a new experience for Sirius, as apparently James had seen no problem with getting into the shower with his son, probably in an effort to conserve energy. As such Harry had cried horribly the first time Sirius had tried to bathe him. Now Sirius had stripped both himself and Harry and gotten into the shower. The little boy amused himself with the bubbles Sirius had enchanted to dance around and let out a small burp when Harry popped them. Taking a moment to teach Harry Sirius asked</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry, what's this?” Sirius asked pointing to Harry’s foot. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Foot!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhmm, and this" here he pointed at Harry's mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mout!” Harry clapped. He reached out and poked Sirius in the eye saying “Wha Dis?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is my eye, can you show my your eye?” Sirius asked. He chuckled as Harry poked himself in his own eye. Harry laughed as well and then tilted his head. Poking his little penis he asked, “wha dis Wius?” Sirius suddenly felt choked up. This wasn't supposed to his job, and the pain of losing James hit him all over again. Swallowing down the lump in his throat Sirius said hoarsely, “That is your penis Harry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Peepee?” Harry asked. Sirius nodded. “Wius peepee?” Harry asked. Sirius nodded again. That seemed to be all that Harry wanted to know as he went back to popping bubbles. Sirius quickly finished their shower and dried them off. Harry settled easily into his crib, he would amuse himself until he fell asleep. As Sirius settled on the bed to go over the properties he owned he heard a tapping. Looking up he saw an owl at his window. Quickly he opened the window and the bird flew in. Detaching the letter Sirius told the bird to get food from Kretcher if it was hungry. Sitting down again he turned the letter over in his hand. The paper was worn almost like scrap paper that someone had gotten from the trash. Heart pounding suddenly he opened it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Meet me at the park around the corner from the Potter house tomorrow at 2. Bring Harry. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>R.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Asking Forgiveness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sirius was nervous, no; more to the point he was terrified. Though honestly he had no reason to be, Remus was the gentlest soul he had ever met. That didn’t stop the slight shaking of Sirius’s hands though. He had gotten Harry dressed in another elephant onesie with a matching coat and elephant hat. After bundling him up at a quarter to two they set off. He was going to have to fly, but luckily Hagrid had dropped his motorcycle back off to him the day before. They had met outside the Leakey shortly after Harry had fallen asleep. He was thankful for it now as it meant he did not have to take Harry to the park on a broom, as he was still too young to Dissaperate. They were in the park now and Harry giggled and squealed as Sirius pushed him back and forth on a swing. Periodically Sirius’ eyes would dart around, and it was on one such pass that he spotted him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Standing just inside the park gates stood Remus. His robes were tattered, his eyes held real exhaustion and his skin was pale. The scarring on his cheeks stood out more that they usually did, and Sirius was not positive but it looked like he had lost weight. Seeing that he had been spotted Remus slowly came forward. Sirius just stood there and continued to push Harry’s swing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stopping only a foot away Remus took a deep breath in before letting it out in a whoosh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sirius.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius felt himself straighten up as if struck by lightning. He looked into Remus’ amber eyes and caught a flicker of unease. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello Remus.” Sirius muttered. Remus stuck his hands deep in the pockets of his robes and stepped to the side to get a better look at Harry. At that same moment Harry spotted him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“MOONY!” Harry cried out and began to babble in a rapid fire manner. Remus’ face burst into a smile and he moved forward to snatch the small boy out of the swing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello Harry,” Remus said softly. Harry grabbed at his face and laughed when Remus’ stubble tickled his hands. He was still talking rapid fire, no doubt telling Remus all the things he felt he had missed out on. After a minute Remus started to move over to a nearby bench. Sirius stayed put and just watched them interact. Harry obviously knew Remus, which cleared up the questions Sirius had about Remus going to visit James and Lily. It did make him question how they had never run into each other, but both had had a lifetime of avoiding people they didn’t want to see. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wius!” Harry called out. Sirius focused on the boy to see him scowling over at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no! What did I do now, Harry,” Sirius asked in fake horror. Harry smiled a bit and gestured for him to come over, it was a cute motion just the open and closing of his hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wius, dis Moony,” Harry introduced him as he came over. Sirius gave the kid a crooked smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know Moony, Harry,” Sirius said softly. Harry’s eyes grew big and he turned to Remus for confirmation. Remus smiled and nodded which caused Harry to clap in excitement. All at once he was no longer interested in the adults and began to wiggle in Remus’ grasp.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Down Moony!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remus set him down and Harry toddled off to the sandpit only a few feet away. Sirius turned to watch him and make sure he was settled before turning back to Remus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you doing with him,” Remus asked softly, eyes still on Harry. Sirius shrugged and shifted from foot to foot. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s getting easier I ‘spose, but i feel like i give in too often. He doesn’t like peas,” Sirius said with a soft snort. “The first week was the hardest, he kept asking for them.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What have you been telling him,” Remus asked sharply. Sirius sucked in a harsh breath and bit back a retort. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The truth, or as close to it as he can understand. That they had to leave him and that they are never coming back, but that they love him very much. After the first week he stopped asking for James, and now he only asks for Lily if he is super tired and won’t drift off,” Sirius said. Remus nodded in understanding before sighing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What exactly do you want, Sirius,” Remus finally asked getting to the heart of the matter. Sirius hesitated, maybe this wasn’t going to be a good idea, but then he remembered how overjoyed Harry was to see Remus and steeled himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want you to come live with me and help me raise Harry,” Sirius blurted out. Remus looked momentarily stunned before he started to chuckle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you have to ask me to dinner before asking me to move in,” Remus asked through his laughter. Sirius blushed at the implication, but stood firm. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remus I know we haven’t been as close in the last couple of years as we could have been, and that is my fault. What I almost made you do is unforgivable, I know that. I’m asking you for your forgiveness, or at least enough of it that you would help me raise Harry. I can’t do it on my own, and I don’t want him to be taken from me. Dumbledore was going to give him to Petunia,” Sirius said sadly. At his last words Remus’ head shot up and his eyes narrowed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Petunia?! That sly conniving snake would ruin him.” Remus hissed. His teeth bared in anger and Sirius felt a shiver run up his spine. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please,” Sirius requested softly. Remus sighed, a big gusty thing that said more about his mental state than anything else. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about Moony,” Remus asked. Sirius took a step forward and handed Remus a stack of paper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Those are the properties that the Black’s own that are surrounded by woods. All the enchantments are stable and they are in good condition, if in need of a cleaning. They are also the smallest houses, the ones closest to what he would have grown up in. We can live in one of the houses, and I will pay for some Wolfsbane for you and the you can let Moony out in the yard to hunt. He may not like Padfoot around anymore but-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He never stopped wanting Padfoot around. Our falling-out didn’t have any effect on him, he missed you.” Remus said in a hushed tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you consider it,” Sirius asked choosing to ignore how that admission made him want to smile. Remus remained silent and simply looked through the houses that Sirius had picked. Though he had given him a full set of places to choose from, there was one for sure that he knew Remus would pick. He knew the exact moment Remus reached it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Paris,” Remus said in a hushed tone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well not exactly in the city, but close enough. It is one of the larger estates in terms of land.” Sirius said just as quietly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How is your French,” Remus asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Considérant que je l'ai appris dès l'enfance, mieux que le vôtre.*” Sirius said snappily. Remus laughed in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C'est vrai, nous devrons apprendre à Harry.*” Remus responded. His accent was a bit thick and some of the words did not roll off the tongue the way they did for Sirius. Sirius smiled at him, if Remus moved to France with him that would change. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So the French estate you think?” Sirius asked after a couple of minutes. Remus looked up and him and nodded slowly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I still don’t forgive you entirely Padfoot, you could have gotten me executed. I know you hate Snape, but that doesn’t excuse what you did. In fact it makes it worse. But in these couple of minutes with you, i can see that you are trying, and that you care for Harry. So i will help, and we can work on rebuilding out friendship.” Remus said. Sirius smiled widely at him and offered his hand. When Remus grasped it Sirius felt another shiver go down his spine, and he relaxed as the weight he had been feeling lifted off him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Time to go home, Harry,” Sirius called to the little boy. Harry had been happy to play in the sand this whole time, and had even been joined by a little brunette haired girl. She was a bit older than him, probably closer to three than Harry was to two. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fwen, Wius,” Harry said pointing to the girl. She looked at him with a big smile and her curly hair bounced a bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you make a friend, Harry,” Remus asked as he came to squat in front of the pair. He spotted the little girl’s mother on another bench smiling over at her daughter. Said little girl was helping Harry to his feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yesh, fwen, Moony.” Harry responded. He then smacked Remus in the chest while telling the girl, “Dis Moony.” The little girl waved shyly. Sirius walked over to her mother and asked softly, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry didn’t cause any trouble, did he?” Sirius asked. He realized a moment ago that he and Remus had been so absorbed with their conversation that they hadn’t noticed when the little girl had joined them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no, he was a darling. I told Hermione to go play with him, i hope you don’t mind.” The woman said with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not at all, I apologies we were just getting some things straightened out.” Sirius said with an answering smile. He turned back to Remus and the children and found him sitting in the sand now building a sand castle. The girl was bringing over more sand for them to use while Harry sat in Remus’s lap and helped him build. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you guys use a surrogate or did you adopt,” the woman asked. Sirius spun to look at her eyes wide. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” He asked. She looked taken aback by his response and colored a bit in embarrassment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just wondering if you and your partner had adopted Harry or had a surrogate. I am sorry that was terribly rude of me.” she mumbled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No no, we aren’t together that way. His parents were our best friends, and we took him in after they passed away...they were murdered.” Sirius finished with a small sigh. The woman looked very sad now and Sirius felt a twinge of unease. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am so sorry for your loss. If it helps the pain any you both are doing a marvelous job with him,” She said resting a hand on his arm for a moment. Sirius nodded in thanks. He quickly made his way back to Remus and Harry and rested a hand on Remus’ shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s go home,” Sirius said quietly. Remus looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where is home right now,” Remus asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Grimmauld Place.” Sirius said with a small frown. Remus frowned in sympathy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you get here?” Remus asked picking up Harry. Harry waved goodbye to the little girl, who happily waved back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You must come back to the park to play again Harry,” the woman called out. Both men raised a hand in farewell before heading for the exit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We came on the bike,” Sirius said. He hunched up when Remus shot him a look. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have a baby carrier for him in the side car, there are like a thousand spells on it, Moony, I promise.” Sirius said with a whine. Remus simply continued to stare at him before sighing in defeat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Show me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sirius brought him to his bike, which he had concealed on the road. Remus studied the baby seat heavily, and even cast a few discrete spells at it. After about five minutes he looked over and Sirius and shrugged. Taking that as a good sign Sirius strapped Harry into his seat. He then reached into one of the side bags and pulled out two helmets. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Climb on,” He told Remus as he handed him a helmet. Remus hesitated for a moment before jumping on the back of the bike. Harry giggled as the bike purred to life, and Sirius stiffened for a split second when he felt Remus’ arms circle his waist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I fall off this thing, Sirius, I’m going to kill you,” Remus said in his ear as they took off down the road. Sirius said nothing, he simply turned down an alleyway and launched the bike into the sky. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Translations:</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*Considering I learned it from childhood, better than yours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>* True enough, we will have to teach Harry.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I plan to post a chapter a week, I have some backlog from the first time I posted this story. However, I may slow it down if I start to catch up with myself. Reviews are welcome and wanted please! Let me know what you think and drop a Kudos!! My work is my own and JK's characters belong to her, we just like to play together.</p>
<p>A/N: So as I do plan to move them to France there will be some French in this fic. I will have the translations at the bottom of the chapters, and I am using Google Translate so forgive me if something is wrong. They will not only speak french while in France though. I have always believed that Sirius would have grown up a bit if he was required to take care of Harry.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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